“Apparently you guys didn’t think I was so funny,” the CBS comedy series actress told TV critics.

“Words do not express how grateful we are for this… but our contribution pales in comparison to those who bravely shared their stories,” she said of her A&E series.

“I spent most of my life being told the world outside Scientology would fail me, that I would fail, and that without it I wasn’t worth a whole lot,” she told critics at their annual awards ceremony Saturday night. “I thank you for proving those theories wrong.”

Remini’s series is set to return for its second season, on Tuesday, August 15. A&E says Season 2 will include 10 hour-long episodes that further exploring accounts of former Scientology members whose lives have been significantly impacted by the org’s practices.